


Dragon Mirror

by VOlympianlove



Series: Asteria [3]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M, Snow White Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-05-31 16:45:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19430023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VOlympianlove/pseuds/VOlympianlove
Summary: His stepmother is a witch who may or may not want him dead and all Sehun wants is to stay alive. So when he overhears a plot to poison him, it seems only natural that he snoops around his stepmother's room. He certainly did not expect to find a mirror entrapping a dragon inside of it, nor did he have any intention of getting kidnapped.





	1. Captive

The metal hurt. They dug into his flesh and left bruises in their wake. The chains rattled and grated on his ears whenever he tried to move, scraping loudly on the cold stone floor. 

He had already stopped counting days. It was too difficult to tell time when there were no windows in his cell. It was always freezing and the cold from the stone seeped into his bones, leaving behind a dull ache that never went away. 

He regretted it. Regretted with every fibre of his being for telling her, for showing her what he could do. She had turned him into a weapon, a being devoid of emotion and feeling, built to kill. 

There was no freedom, only the chains of servitude that bound him to her. She taught him how to control it, but also controlled him. 

He no longer remembered what the sky looked like. It had been weeks since he had been let out, forced to wreck destruction over the villages that displeased her. 

Jongin flexed his wrist gently, wincing as the shackles dug into his already bruised skin. He watched as the tiniest flicker of power rippled through him, the nail on his pointer finger growing sharper and darker. It was only but a moment, before the flicker died and his nail became normal again. 

He was powerless in that cell. She had cast enough spells to ensure that, to contain and lock his magic away beneath his skin, allowing it to bubble and boil beneath the surface, fighting to get out until she needed it, letting it explode all over whichever innocent village that had offended her. 

She had burned too many of them. The villages had to be rebuilt, slowly, painfully, under the scrutiny of her many guards. There was nothing left to burn. And thus, Jongin remained, a prisoner trapped in a windowless cell. 

It was torture. He wanted to fly, to let his wings stretch out and feel the wind beneath him. He wanted to see the rolling green hills and play with the water in Kleptys Bay. But she kept him there, trapped in his human skin, unable to do anything but wait, for her command, for the brief moments where he would be allowed out. 

\- 

Sehun detested his stepmother. She was strange, to say the least. Her lips and her nails always matched, painted a ruby red colour that reminded him of blood. Her skin was deathly pale and her hair was jet black, flowing down to her waist. And the sickly sweet scent of apples always filled his nostrils whenever she was close by. 

For the most part, he avoided her. It was not difficult for the castle was big and she had claimed the entire lower half, claiming to need space for her “equipment”. 

It was no secret that she was a witch. And a powerful one at that. Sehun had sneaked into her chambers once, and he found the massive, floor length mirror to be incredibly disturbing. 

She had it placed at the foot of her bed and at the top of its ornate frame, was a bronze dragon head with rubies for eyes. Its jaws were agape and its teeth bared. The room was also impossibly cold. 

There were also rumours that she owned a dragon. The same dragon that burned down the villages was hers, subject to her every whim. 

Sehun pitied the dragon, if the rumours were true. Dragons were not meant to be kept as pets, nor used as weapons. They were sacred and even though there were tiny dragons the size of his pinky that occasionally loved to attach themselves to humans, they were creatures that needed to be free and roaming. 

There were always dragons in Sivaria. He could hear them roaring sometimes, in the nearby mountains. His lessons taught him that the abundance of magic in their kingdom was the reason they settled there, and he was always taught to respect them. 

The far more powerful ones could transform into human form, and walk among them. And it was never wise to offend a dragon. 

The one time he had visited her chambers, Sehun could have sworn he heard the mirror speak. He heard a soft gasp, a plea for help and chains rattling. But his stepmother’s high heels had started in the hallway and he had fled, forgetting about the strange talking mirror. 

Now, as he held the small ornate hand mirror in his hand, his thoughts wandered back to that gigantic mirror. Had it really spoken to him? 

The mirror in his hand was heavy and its frame and handle were made of gold. As he turned it in his hand, he could see an inscription on its back. 

_Warchodaeth_

As he read it aloud, the mirror grew larger and heavier in his hand. Its frame split apart and the mirror extended, until all that was left was a silver sword in his hand, the mirror’s handle as its hilt. Sehun’s eyes were wide with wonder as he gripped the sword, turning it as its blade caught the light. There was no questioning why his tutor had given it to him now, before he had been dismissed by his stepmother. 

Protection. 

Against what, he could not be sure but whatever it was, he knew he would be grateful to have that blade in his hand when he had to face it. 


	2. Treachery

Lately, the witch, as he liked to call her, in favour of his stepmother, had become even stranger. She had been leaving her den more and more, watching from the stands as he had his sword fighting lessons and appearing right when he was saddling up for his horse riding. 

She never said a word, just sat and watched as he rode across the arena. Granted, they had rarely spoken even when his father had been alive. Even when he was younger, Sehun had found her mildly disturbing and preferred to stay out of her way. 

At first, Sehun tried to ignore her, focusing instead on the task at hand. But things got stranger the more he tried to ignore it. He was nearly slashed across the throat by his swordmaster by complete accident during one of his lessons. His horse bucked and almost threw him into a fence during a riding lesson. And he had very nearly been crushed by a fallen tree riding home from a hack in the woods. 

The storm had come out of nowhere, dark clouds rumbling and roiling angrily overhead. He had urged Erlking into a canter, fearing the rain. They were riding through the woods, completely fine when the lightning struck, colliding into a tree. Said tree gave them no warning, falling straight into their path. 

Had they been a moment earlier, both horse and prince would have been crushed beneath its weight. When he had arrived home, drenched and shivering, his stepmother had been in the throne room, glaring at him through her thick black lashes. 

He could almost swear that she was trying to kill him, until one night, when he was sneaking around in the kitchens, trying to secure some stolen pastries that he heard something that made his blood run cold. 

_“She will have us poison his food!”_

_“Shush now, you’ll have us both killed.”_

_“Why would she choose now to kill him, not while he was a child?”_

_“How would I know? We just need to follow her orders, alright? I like where my head is, and I would like to keep it.”_

Sehun pressed himself against the stone wall, holding his breath. His fingers slipped to the small mirror he always carried in his pocket, clenching around its weight. 

_“I heard her tell one of her guards that he’s getting too powerful.”_

_“What is she on about? The prince has shown no signs of any magic, much less being strong enough to counter her wickedness.”_

_“Oh, do lower your volume! We will get caught!”_

_“You shut up. Her mirror acts strangely. I could’ve sworn it spoke the other day when I was cleaning her room.”_

_“Could she be keeping a ghost in there?”_

_“Maybe the dragon lives in the mirror.”_ The servant snorted and their voices faded as they walked further away, leaving Sehun speechless behind the wall. 

_How could she have known that my powers had already manifested and could the dragon really be hidden inside the mirror?_ He mused as he returned to his room, fingers clenched so tightly around the mirror’s handle that his bones ached. 

He had never seen the dragon, though he had heard accounts of it. It was rumoured to have jet black scales that glittered in the sun and an underbelly the colour of moonlight. How could someone conceal such a massive creature? 

Sehun steeled his nerves. He had to get another look at that mirror. The Queen almost never slept at night, preferring to spend most of her time in the lower bowels of the castle, and there was a secret passage that led straight into her room. He would have to avoid using his magic now, as he suspected that she could somehow sense him using that. 

Walking across his room, he lifted a false book carved into his bookcase. There was a soft click, and the entire bookcase sank into the wall, sliding aside to reveal one of the castle’s many secret passageways. 

The bookcase slid back into place behind him when he walked inside, following the twists and turns of the passageways easily. He had played in these places a lot in his childhood, giving his mother many a heart attack when she discovered him missing from his playroom, and knew every one of them like the back of his hand. 

When his father had remarried the current Queen, Sehun had laid wards the moment he could, sealing the passageways leading to his room, so that he was the only ones who use them. He taught himself to control his powers in the privacy of those passageways. 

The passageway turned narrow and when a sickly scent of apples filled his nostrils, Sehun knew that he had arrived. His senses tingled and he let his magic guide him to push the brick into the wall, an entire expanse of stone sliding silently aside to reveal his stepmother’s chambers. 

He stepped out, closing the passageway behind him. The mirror was right there, at the foot of her gigantic four poster bed. Its surface seemed impossibly smooth and solid, and for a moment, Sehun doubted himself. 

But he stood in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection, waiting for the voice. 


	3. Free Flight

Jongin gasped when he saw the young man. He knew him instantly, even though he had visited only once before. The prince had grown up so much, growing into his lanky body. His hair was a soft caramel brown and his skin was fair.   
  
The dragon arched against his chains, crying out.   
  
“Help me! I’m here! Please help me!”   
  
His chains scraped noisily against the floor as he fought, the shackles digging even further into his flesh. Blood dripped from the cuts, but he barely even noticed the pain, eyes focused on the young man who was frowning, stepping even closer to him.   
  
He was raising his hand, seeming to place his hand on nothing. Whatever he had laid his hand upon shimmered, and the barrier fell away, revealing the prince standing just outside Jongin’s tiny cell.   
  
“What the fuck.”   
  
Sehun stared at the man trembling on the floor before him in shock. He was in terrible shape with bruises beneath his eyes and blood dripping from his wrists, caused by the silver manacles on his hands.   
  
“Help me!”   
  
The cry snapped the prince out of his stupor and he jolted forward, kneeling to get a better look at the man.   
  
“How do I get these off?” He asked sharply, dark eyes flashing. Jongin winced when he gripped his hand, his hold slightly too tight to be comforting.   
  
“I…I don’t know.” He breathed, still in disbelief. Sehun cursed loudly, pressing his fingers against the shackles. Instantly, an image of how the metal fitted together filled his mind. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the air around him. That was his material.   
  
Jongin watched in fascination as the prince’s brows furrowed, the air in the room suddenly becoming still as all of it was forced into the single manacle around his wrist. There was a lot of pressure and suddenly, the metal shattered.   
  
Sehun reached for the other wrist immediately, not wanting to waste precious time. They had to get out of there, fast, before they were discovered. He knew his powers had limits. Magic had their rules and his concentration could only get them so far.   
  
Sweat beaded on his forehead as the second manacle snapped apart and he was on his feet, dragging the dragon up.   
  
“Come on, we need to go.”   
  
Jongin could put up no argument as the prince yanked him out of the prison cell he had spent so many of his days.   
  
“I’m Jongin.” He tried to explain as a wall of stone slid back before his eyes and Sehun was dragging him into a passageway.   
  
“Sehun.” The prince’s reply was curt as he broke into a run, still gripping Jongin’s hand.   
  
He had no idea why he was helping the dragon. Dragons were unpredictable and ones that had been locked up even more so. And this dragon was so young. His heart ached at the thought of the dragon being confined to such a small space for so long.   
  
Free from the witch’s wards, Jongin could feel his power beginning to pulse beneath him again. He relished the feeling of it, the burn of his magic running through his veins as they ran down the dark hallways, the prince twisting and turning swiftly to lead them through.   
  
A black expanse of stone appeared before them and Sehun lifted his hand, a jet of air cleaving the stone in half easily. Jongin’s jaw dropped. He knew the prince was powerful, could feel the vast span of his power beat in his blood as he ran with him but at such a young age, he had not expected the amount of control he had displayed.   
  
A rush of wind filled the passage and Jongin’s heart soared. The night sky twinkled, full of stars as they ran outside, hand in hand.   
  
Sehun did not stop, heading straight for the forest. The moon was full, providing more than enough light for them to see by as they sprinted towards the dense trees. Jongin turned his head when a light went on in the castle and then there were yells.   
  
The prince’s face was pale as he lengthened his strides, sprinting full speed for the forest.   
  
“There! Seize them both!” A female voice split the night and the quiet fury that had been boiling beneath Jongin’s skin exploded. His hatred combined with his frustration released from his hands in the form of pure power.   
  
Sehun screamed in terror when he was knocked off his feet, flying into the thicket of woods. All the air was knocked out of him and he laid there for a few moments, struggling to catch his breath.   
  
Jongin was transforming, his bone structure rearranging itself as sleek black wings unfurled from his back sending gusts of wind into the air. Black scales crawled up his neck as he shifted, back into the powerful Forest dragon that he was.   
  
He tipped his head back and roared, the wind generated by the powerful sound ruffling the treetops.   
  
The guards running towards them with lances paused.   
  
Sehun seized his chance, dragging himself to his feet as Jongin turned to face the guards. The dragon’s eyes flashed with fury as he roared once more, the ground quaking beneath his feet.   
  
Flames exploded from his mouth, the heat searing Sehun’s face as he turned to run, breaking through the line of trees that would lead him into the Forest.   
  
Jongin flapped his wings, snarling as he turned to seek out the prince. A final puff of blue flames caught the tree line alight and the guards running for the forest skidded to a stop.   
  
He spun, following the prince as he crashed through the undergrowth, diving downwards into the forest.   
  
“Wait!” He tried to cry but all that came out was a roar.   
  
Sehun risked a glance over his shoulder and his blood chilled.   
  
The dragon was following him!   
  
He stumbled, ducking under a low hanging branch, a soft sob catching in his throat as fear overwhelmed him.   
  
A sharp branch caught his sleeve and he yanked, stumbling forward. He risked a glance over his shoulder and his breath caught.   
  
The dragon was slowing, possibly because the forest was far too dense for his size and wingspan, but he was still close, far too close.   
  
He broke through another thicket of trees, and a sharp pain shot up his leg when an exposed tree root caught him unawares, sending him crashing to the ground. The pain was sharp, stealing his breath as he hobbled forward, the sounds of the dragon crashing through the trees behind him keeping him moving.   
  
Adrenaline was pumping in his bloodstream as he stumbled, branches scratching his face, tearing his clothes as he forged a way through the trees.   
  
The trees parted all of a sudden, and he stumbled into a clearing. His knees buckled and he fell, his lungs burning as he struggled to draw breath.   
  
He knelt in place, gasping as sweat dripped down his face, soaking into the mossy ground.   
  
“Are you alright?” Sehun barely heard the question, still focused on catching his breath.   
  
\-   
  
Jongin grimaced when his wing narrowly missed slammed into another tree. He had shrunk down his size as much as he could so that he could fit through the trees but with his wings, it was still difficult to fly in the forest.   
  
But fly he had to if he wished to catch up with the prince, who was fast, darting out of sight and vanished when he had rounded a bend. Only the trail of broken branches and crushed shrubbery gave him any indication in where he was going.   
  
The dragon roared when his wing caught in a branch, just before he saw a break in the trees. He was dragged backwards, the human part of his mind swearing bloody murder as he tried to untangle himself from the branches.   
  
At the rate he was going, he would never catch up to Sehun.   
  
Folding his wings as close as he could, Jongin dove through the line of trees, nearly crashing into another one as he surveyed the clearing he just nearly destroyed. The clearing was terribly dark, possibly because his body was in the air, blocking out most of the moonlight that had managed to filter through the forest’s dense trees.   
  
There was a small figure standing in the middle of the clearing, blatantly staring at Jongin with no trace of fear. He snorted, feeling smoke puff out from his nostrils as he tried to catch Sehun’s scent.   
  
Jongin glanced at the figure again and his eyes widened when he noticed the man’s hands. They were covered in fur and claws protruded from his paws. He was also staring back, eyeing Jongin up and down.   
  
Jongin landed on the mossy ground, his scales receding and his wings folding into his back. He looked at the man nervously before his mouth opened, the words spilling out before he could think about them.   
  
“Have you seen a boy? He came this way? Caramel brown hair and fair skin?”   
  
The man shrugged and turned away, looking ready to go on his way and Jongin felt his heart drop.   
  
“Please!” Jongin lurched forward, grabbing the man’s shoulder as he was preparing to step out of the clearing.   
  
Desperation coloured his voice as he started to ramble, fingers gripping too tight around the stranger’s shoulder.   
  
“Can’t you tell me which way he went? I didn’t mean to scare him but he just took off and…”   
  
The stranger turned, eyes raking down Jongin’s face, the young man too distracted to notice. He had to be a sight, chocolate brown hair falling into his eyes and sweat dripping down his face.   
  
“He went that way.” Jongin heaved a sigh of relief as the man spoke, one of his strange claws pointing toward the west.   
  
“Thank you!” He cried out, breaking into a sprint in the direction the man had pointed in.   
  



	4. Discovery

Sehun stumbled, his knees buckling. Black spots danced on the edges of his vision and he felt faint. Putting out his hand, he grasped a tree branch, leaning against the trunk of the tree in an effort to steady his breathing. There was a rustle in the undergrowth and he spooked, releasing the tree branch as he whipped his head around to see. 

A doe peeked her head out at him curiously. She took a bumbling step forward when Sehun did not move, and another until she was pressing her head against his thigh. Sehun hardly dared to breathe as the doe nuzzled him, nudging and licking at his hand curiously. 

She was beautiful, her fur completely silver and satiny to the touch. Her ears flicked intelligently as he dared to stroke her cheek, her fur like satin beneath his fingertips. 

There was a soft chirping and they both looked up to see a blue bird looking down at them inquisitively. Hesitantly, Sehun held out his hand. He had to be far from his castle. No creatures ever seemed to live in the part of the forest closest to his home, perhaps due to his stepmother's dark magic steeping into every nook and crevice of the area. 

But out here, the wildlife seemed to thrive. The bluebird hopped down from the branch it was perched upon and settled itself onto Sehun's shoulder, chirping happily. It nuzzled its cheek against the prince's neck and he laughed, stroking its tiny head gently. 

The doe butted at his hand, eager for his attention and soon, they were joined by a fluffy gray rabbit peeking shyly from around a nearby tree trunk. 

Sehun took a couple of steps forward, the animals clinging to him with every step before he sat down against the tree, content to scratch the doe's head and pet the rabbit that had hopped into his lap for a nap. The bluebird seemed to have fallen asleep as well, dozing off on his shoulder. 

There was a soft hissing sound and a snake with iridescent scales slithered up to them. Sehun tensed, fearing that it wished to make a meal out of the bunny in his lap but the serpent seemed content to just curl up at his feet, fluttering the tiny wings that Sehun had just now noticed. 

All was good and peaceful until a loud crashing in the undergrowth startled them. The rabbit hopped off his lap and the doe pulled back, eyes wide and startled. Sehun rose to his feet, hand going to the hand mirror in his pocket. 

He backed away slowly, until his back was clear of the tree before he bolted, sprinting deeper and deeper into the forest. The animals chased after him, the bluebird chirping worriedly overhead as it flew. The doe caught up with him quickly, clamping its teeth down upon his shirt. 

A sharp tug caught his attention and Sehun stopped, panting. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath and sweat was dripping down his body, soaking his shirt. 

The snake slithered up to him, coiling itself around his wrist when he went to pick it up, along with the rabbit that had lagged behind. 

When he tried to go forward however, the doe pulled him back, shaking her head viciously. 

"What is it?" Sehun thought he was going crazy but the doe looked him in the eye and bleated. 

_Danger_. 

"You've got to be kidding me." The prince laughed. He could have sworn that the doe had just spoken to him and he had understood it. 

He was preparing to change his direction when a large hand clamped around his mouth and then there was a blade against his throat. 

"Don't move. Give me whatever that's in your pocket or I will slit your throat and let the vampire wolves drink your blood." Sehun's blood ran cold and he swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing against the blade of the knife. The animals had scattered, except for the silver snake still coiled around his wrist like a bracelet. 

It was remaining remarkably still even as Sehun pulled out the hand mirror, placing it into the man's rough palm. 

"Take him with us." Another voice spoke from Sehun's right and he turned his head to see six other men, all burly and muscled, carrying pickaxes step from behind the trees. He cursed himself for not listening to the doe. 

A rough hand grasped his jaw and he cried out in pain when the man pressed the knife to his collarbone. A wad of cloth was shoved roughly into his mouth. He squirmed, protesting soundly behind the gag as cloth was pulled over his mouth, effectively gagging him. His tongue was pinned to the bottom of his mouth and he could only breathe through his nose harshly as his wrists were tugged behind him and bound skilfully with thick rope. Thankfully, the snake had slithered up his arm and was now hidden in his shirtsleeve. He shuddered to think what the men would do to it if it were found. 

"Mmmph." Sehun groaned in pain when the man hefted him and bodily heaved him onto his shoulder. His stomach was pressing right against the man's bulky shoulder and it was hurting him. He squirmed helplessly as he was carried out like a sack of potatoes on the man's shoulder. 


	5. Kidnapped

Jongin practically fell into the clearing, dazed and exhausted. He had combed the forest as much as he could, seeking out the prince to no avail. How could he disappear so quickly? 

Time passed differently in the forest so he had no way of telling how long he had been searching. 

Jongin was just about to sit down and catch his breath when he heard hoofbeats coming right at him. 

He leapt aside as two massive Clydesdale horses cantered into the clearing, one white and the other black. Sitting atop them were two men. One of them was strikingly handsome with a sculpted face and golden blonde hair while the other had fair skin and dark curls falling into his eyes. 

"Yifan, wait!" Jongin figured that he must have looked lost because the dark haired man pulled his horse to a stop right beside him, looking at him with his brows creased with concern. 

"Are you lost?" He asked gently, as the other man backed his horse up until they were side by side. Jongin stared up at him openmouthed, before the question sunk in and he shook his head violently. 

"N...no. I'm looking for someone but I can't find him." He stuttered, feeling their eyes practically boring into his skin. 

"Poor thing. Come with us. We're heading to Joonmyun's for a wedding. He won't mind if you come along. You look as if you're dreadfully in need of food." The brunette swung off his horse and smiled warmly as Jongin. 

"Go on." The blonde man regarded him with solemn eyes. 

"I can't ride." Jongin admitted, looking at the massive horse with a small measure of fear. 

"That's alright, all you need to do is hold on. We'll go slow." The brunette smiled encouragingly and Jongin moved forward, gripping the saddle with hesitant hands. He set his foot into the stirrup and with some help from the brunette, managed to get himself into the saddle without too much issue. 

\- 

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" Sehun fought them when they tried to tie him down. They had brought him to a quaint little cottage that did not look like it could even host two of the men, much less seven of them. He had been dumped into a chair and they were now tying him up. The rope chafed against his delicate skin as he struggled, snarling furiously. 

"He's feisty." One of them commented, a smirk tugging at his lips. Sehun growled in his throat, straining against the ropes that crisscrossed across his chest, binding him firmly to the chair. 

“Bind him tighter." another responded and Sehun thrashed up a storm when they tightened the ropes, tying him so tightly that he could not move anywhere. A hand gripped his jaw turning his head so that they could get a good look at him. 

"He'd fetch a good price." Someone commented and Sehun started to tremble. Slave traders. Just his luck. He had to run into slave traders. 

"With that spirit? Probably no good as a pleasure slave. Too young for it." The prince's cheeks warmed and he arched against the chair, snarling and spitting behind the gag. The men chuckled. 

"They'll break him good. Always nice to have a fighter." 

Sehun hissed, the snake in his sleeve stirring. 

_Wait._ _Patience, my Prince._

The reptile tightened its coils, and he could feel the tiny flutter of its wings brushing against his skin. 

The prince exhaled, his muscles slowly relaxing. He was not going insane. The snake had actually spoken to him. 


	6. Revelations

Jongin was having trouble hanging on. His fingers were cramping from gripping the horse’s mane and reins so tightly and his butt was sore from the constant bouncing in the saddle. 

The brunette had taken up a seat on the blonde man’s horse, his arms wrapped easily around his waist. 

His eyes twinkled like stars as he watched Jongin struggle to keep in the saddle. 

“You’ll get the hang of it!” He cried out over the billowing wind. Jongin muttered something under his breath and the blonde man turned to shoot him a reproachful look. 

The dragon shrank back, fingers tightening in the horse’s mane. He had not expected him to be able to hear him. 

“We’re nearly there anyway. He won’t have to hang on much longer.” 

The brunette laughed, burying his head into his partner’s back at his response. 

True to his words, the trees before them parted to reveal pearly white gates and a castle made of gleaming marble stood behind them. 

“Jongdae gave them quite the upgrade.” Jongin cocked his head at the unfamiliar name. 

The brunette turned to smile at him as he dismounted, leaping to the ground gracefully. 

“I’m sorry I did not introduce myself. I’m Yixing and this is my husband, Yifan.” The blonde man nodded his head as the white gates swung open on their own, leading his horse inside. 

Jongin found himself shoulder to shoulder with the man called Yixing as his horse pulled forward, eager to follow its partner. 

“I’m Jongin.” He mumbled shyly and Yixing dimpled sweetly at him. 

“Come along, Jongin. We’ll get you some food at the banquet.” 

\- 

Sehun remained silent when the traders returned, leering at him. 

“It’ll be getting light soon. I say we take him to the portal the moment the sky lightens so he won’t even think of running.” 

The other men mumbled in agreement as they eyed him. 

“Looks like a prince doesn’t he?” Someone commented. 

“Sure. Like the crown prince of Sivaria. Except he’s dead.” There was a roar of laughter and Sehun’s blood ran cold. 

Dead? 

“The dragon killed him no doubt. The one he tried to save. Wild creatures they are. Uncontrollable.” The man who had tied him up commented. 

“I heard the body they found was so destroyed that it was unrecognizable. If that fairy hasn’t confirmed it with his magic, the queen wouldn’t have believed it. She was so torn up, locked herself in her room for the entire day, they said.” 

Body? 

Sehun was getting more and more confused by the minute. He was alive and well, albeit a prisoner of slave traders. 

And what fairy? If he was alive, how could there be a body to find? 

He snorted at the idea of his stepmother being devastated at the news of his death. Locked herself inside her room to grieve, his ass. More like locked herself inside to cackle with delight that she did not have to do much of the dirty work herself. 

“The prince is dead. The queen will have to remarry and bear a new heir. Enough of this talk. We have better things to do than sit around all day and talk about Sivaria’s business.” 

Their leader rose to his feet, glancing out the window to see the soft rays of the sun slowly filtering into the forest. 

“Come on, boys. Let’s get him off our hands.” 


	7. Explanations

The castle was remarkable. Jongin had never seen anything quite like it.

Sure, the queen had an enormous estate in Sivaria but he had been confined to a single room and he doubted it even compared to the size of this castle.

Sure enough, as the brunette had said, there was a massive banquet laid out in the ballroom and Jongin was very welcome to the food.

One of the grooms, Joonmyun, if he remembered right, had fussed over him, pettting and brushing dead leaves out of his hair, before pushing him in the direction of the banquet table to get some food.

Jongin was ravenous with hunger.

The queen often forgot to feed him, and it had been a long time since he had eaten.

He tried to go slow, so that the other party goers would not think him an absolute animal but the hunger ate at him.

It only abated when Joonmyun pulled him aside to introduce him to his husband.

“I know you!” He gasped at the sight of the wide eyed man. It was the very same man who had bear claws for hands and had pointed him in Sehun’s direction in the forest.

The man seemed to have recognized him too, for his already wide eyes had grown bigger.

“You are that dragon looking for a boy,” He said tensely, “did you find him?”

The reminder made Jongin’s heart ache. He was terribly sorry that he had frightened the young prince so that he had fled.

The forest could be dangerous and he was unsure if the prince had ever been outside of Sivaria for very long before.

“No,” he mumbled dejectedly, hugging his bowl to his chest, “I did not.”

Joonmyun patted his shoulder gently, taking the bowl from him.

“Perhaps you should ask Jongdae,” he murmured, pointing in the direction of a fairy Jongin had never seen before, “he is always happy to help.”

The brunette who had brought Jongin to the castle appeared, dimpling as Joonmyun’s husband took his hand, kissing his knuckles.

“Who needs help?” He asked, clapping a hand on Jongin’s shoulder.

“Kyungsoo said he met this boy in the forest and that he was looking for someone,” Joonmyun explained as his husband, now known as Kyungsoo, took his leave to entertain other guests.

“He’s a prince,” Jongin blurted out, a pleading expression clmbing over his face, “I don’t think he’s ever been this far away from home before.”

“Oh,” the brunette frowned, turning to wave down the fairy Joonmyun had pointed to before.

After a quick explanation that had the fairy, Jongdae’s eyes gleaming, Jongin got the feeling that whatever he was saying, the fairy already knew.

“You should start with the spirit glade,” he said, prompting a groan from Kyungsoo who had just returned behind him.

The prince was smiling, even as he wrapped an arm around Joonmyun’s waist, the latter glancing at him in surprise.

“He said that to me too,” he replied in answer to everyone’s surprised looks. Jongdae smirked in response and took up Jongin’s hand. His fingers left trails of fairy dust all over the dragon’s hand as he led him away, towards the doors.

“Everything begins and ends in the spirit glade. As a creature of magic, you should be able to find your way there. The spirit glade will tell you everything you need to know.”


	8. Incoming Storm

Sehun could feel the snake squirming, turning round and round his upper arm as he was dragged to his feet.

He snarled as much as he could through the gag, thrashing so hard that one of them had to seize him by the hair. 

The point of a dagger pressing against his throat made him pause.

“Come along now,” the man growled.

The snake was still again when he was led out of the cottage and to a wide eyed horse. The horse sniffed at his shirt as he passed and Sehun swore he heard a whisper in his mind.

_Milord._

He felt the snake tighten around his arm and a hissed reply too soft for him to catch. The horse merely bowed its head and allowed the men to hoist Sehun into the saddle like a sack of potatoes. 

It was an uncomfortable ride, slung across the front of the saddle on his stomach. He was jolted back and forth repeatedly as the horse trotted down the paths, caged in by horses on either side. 

They all had the same response when they had seen him, a brief head bow and a whispered _milord._

Sehun wondered when exactly had he become an animal whisperer. He did not remember being able to understand animals before. 

Perhaps it was another one of his powers manifesting? Sivaria was a melting pot of cultures and magic and it was difficult to predict what one might have, especially as the crown prince. 

With his twenty first birthday rapidly approaching, Sehun thought that his powers should have already all manifested. 

The power over air, the manipulation of spells and wards. 

That was the extent of his powers as far as he had known. Perhaps he could add a new one now to the list?

Sehun could feel a strange buzzing in the air as they crossed a seemingly ordinary path, the trees becoming denser all around them. He shivered. 

He had never been this far away from home before. 

Even before his father’s death, he was usually confined to the borders of their kingdom. The forest around the castle never changed, despite the magic imbued deep within them. 

Sehun always thought that was strange as Sivaria was practically magic central, steeped with so much magic that they attracted dragons like flies to honey.

The thought of dragons made him freeze. He wondered what had happened to Jongin.

Last he remembered, the dragon had been following him. 

Was he alright or had he already been recaptured and sent back to the queen? 

He doubted that the dragon would allow himself to be captured again but his stepmother was powerful and Jongin looked so very young for a dragon.

It did not take them very long to arrive at the portal, a glowing, shimmering thing tucked away behind a glade of trees. 

Sehun protested soundly, struggling as hard as he could even as he was lifted from the horse’s back, carried between two men.

He could see the deck of a ship through the portal, dark and wooden against swirling purple colours. 

The leader chuckled, a rough brown hand closing around Sehun’s throat as he writhed, crying out against the gag in his mouth.

Sehun arched, terror riding like a wave through his bloodstream as he was dragged through the portal, the magic rippling like cold water over his face, then his body,

He could smell the salt in the air as he was unceremoniously dropped onto the ground in a heap, jostling the snake curled around his arm. 

Said snake hissed softly at the disturbance, tightening its coils.

_I do not like rough men._

Sehun bit down on his lip as he was manhandled to his feet and dragged over to the main mast. 

Three pairs of frightened eyes stared back at him as he spun around, his back colliding painfully against the solid wood.

He could not hold back a yelp of pain, and the snake in his sleeve hissed even louder.

_He squished me._

Sehun mumbled an apology in his mind as the snake uncoiled from around his upper arm. His wrists were attached to the rope already around the mast and his ankles too, were bound together. 

He swallowed down a surprised sound when he felt the snake slither down his arm to coil neatly around his wrist, his body hiding it from view.

“Urgh,” a calloused hand gripped his jaw and jerked his chin up. Sehun whimpered in pain as fingers dug into his flesh, hard enough to leave bruises.

“He’s a pretty one, alright,” the man was a different one, dressed in what looked like a pirate’s hat and a sleezy eyepatch. He was big and broad, his nose crooked and absolutely hideous to look at. 

Sehun tried to yank his chin out of the man’s grip but he held firm, crooked teeth yellow in the sun as he leered. He smelled disgusting too. 

“I’ll take im’,” money exchanged hands and Sehun was almost relieved to be released. 

Almost.

The panic rose higher in his throat as half the men vanished back into the portal and the portal swirled, sealing up into nothing. Now he had no way of going home.

He had no idea where he even was. 

For all he knew, they could be on the other side of the kingdom, on the Ascythe Sea. Come to think of it, it did look a lot like the Darklands. 

The ship was parked neatly in a cove surrounded by rocks as black as night and the air was cold and salty.

Even as the captain shouted orders, the ship beginning to rock beneath his feet, the sky was darkening in the distance, a sure sign of an incoming storm.

Sehun’s stomach lurched. He had never even been on a ship before, much less on one that was about to try and outrun a storm.

He murmured prayers under his breath, the snake around his wrist settling against his skin.

_Be still, milord. Help will come. I promise._

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the third installment to Asteria. It's been a long time coming and I'm finally ready to continue. Please note that this is the first version of the series. A revamped version is in the works and has a largely different plot from this and likely will have a different name. I hope my long time followers will enjoy this and I'm so so sorry for the almost 3 year wait!
> 
> You can send me prompts or just asks on my Curious Cat [@VOlympian](https://curiouscat.me/VOlympian). or on Twitter [@VOlympian](https://twitter.com/VOlympian). If you send me a prompt, I will write a drabble to it!


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